Our arithmetic yields $310, assuming that Adelson is worth $24.9 billion as of March 2012 (per Forbes) and that the median household is worth $77,300 as of 2010 (according to recent Fed figures). Regardless of the exact amount, the point is the same: For the portion of your income that you might pay to keep the electricity on every month in the summer, Adelson is able to potentially bend the course of American politics. Direct your righteous indignation here.

News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.